1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to techniques and systems for securing a catheter or other medical article to a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical patients are often in need of repetitious administering of fluids or medications, or repetitious draining of fluids. It is very common in the medical industry to utilize medical tubing to provide various liquids or solutions to a patient. For example, medical tubing such as a catheter is often used to introduce fluids and medications directly into the patient or to withdraw fluids from the patient. In many cases, the catheter remains in place for many days. In some instances, a catheter may be attached to a patient for an even lengthier period of time, and may require minimal movement for proper functioning.
It is often advantageous to restrict the movement of the catheter. A moving catheter may cause discomfort to the patient, restrict the administering of fluids or medications or the draining of fluids, cause infection, or become dislodged from the patient unintentionally. In order to keep the catheter or other medical tubing properly positioned for the duration of treatment, the catheter or medical tubing can be secured to the patient in a variety of ways. Most commonly, the medical provider may attempt to restrict movement of the catheter by securing the distal end of the catheter to the patient using tape. Medical providers commonly place long pieces of tape across the distal end of the catheter, often in a crisscross pattern, to secure the catheter distal end to the patient. This securement is intended to inhibit disconnection between the catheter and the patient or between the catheter and another medical article, such as a drainage tube, as well as to prevent the catheter from catching on other objects, such as on a bed rail.
Securing a catheter with tape upon the patient, however, has certain drawbacks. For example, taped connections often collect contaminants and dirt. This potentially can lead to infection of the patient, particularly at an insertion site where the catheter is inserted into the patient. Normal protocol therefore requires periodic tape changes in order to inhibit germ growth.
Periodic tape changes may also be necessary when replacing or repositioning the medical article. The frequent, often daily, removal and reapplication of adhesive tape to the skin of the patient can excoriate the skin. Such repeated applications of tape over the catheter or medical tubing can additionally lead to the build up of adhesive residue on the outer surface of the catheter or medical tubing. This residue can result in contaminants adhering to the catheter itself, increasing the likelihood of infection of the insertion site. This residue can also make the catheter or medical tubing stickier and more difficult to handle for medical providers.
To add to the above problems, valuable time is spent applying and reapplying the tape to secure the catheter. And medical providers often remove their gloves when taping because most find the taping procedure difficult and cumbersome when wearing gloves, especially when the catheter has become sticky from repeated tape applications. Not only does this further lengthen the procedure, but it also may subject the medical provider to possible infection and increase the risk of needle-stick.
Furthermore, tape often fails to limit catheter motion and, therefore, contributes to motion related complications like phlebitis, infiltration and catheter migration. Also, the removal of taped dressings can itself cause undesired motion of the catheter upon the patient. Thus, a patient is subjected to a risk each time that the catheter is intentionally or unintentionally moved or adjusted.
There remains a need for an improved catheter securement system for use with a patient that overcomes the problems associated with current designs. There is a need for a simple, inexpensive connection mechanism that can easily and safely be used to reposition a catheter if desired.